Seeds Among the Ashes
It was another peaceful afternoon at Mongmong Animal Hospital, one of a string of quiet days.
In the newly refurbished third-floor cafeteria and break room, Go Gi-jin let out a long sigh.
"Ehh? A wildfire?"
"A wildfire? Where?"
Lee Jun, who had been drinking coffee beside him, craned his neck toward the phone in Go Gi-jin's hands.
But Go Gi-jin neither answered nor turned the screen toward him. Instead, his face flushing red, he punched in a number and called someone at once.
The line rang, and a voice came through from the other end.
"Huh? What's goin' on?"
"Ah, Pa. You all right?"
"All right about what?"
"W-well, the fire. I heard there was a fire?"
"Ah, you mean over in Daeyeong-ri?"
"Daeyeong-ri?"
"That's right. They put it out over there real quick. Heard it was dead in about thirty minutes."
"So you're all right, then?"
"I'm fine."
"Whew, that's a relief. I thought somethin' might've happened to you."
"What, you think all of Hongseong is our land? Talk sense! You know how far that mountain is from here?"
"Why wouldn't it make sense? You're always over that way, ain't you? Leavin' feed out for the wild animals and pickin' up wire snares and all."
"I ain't been able to go lately! Too busy to even eat!"
"Anyway, I'm just glad you're all right."
"Yeah, I'm fine. The fire crews put it out real quick, they say."
"Those folks sure have it hard."
"They do. They'll still be workin' themselves ragged puttin' it out. Main fire's dead, sure, but you know how many embers are left up on that mountain?"
"I bet. But why'd it start? 'Cause it's dry in the fall?"
"If only. Wouldn't sting so much. Some fool was burnin' farm waste in a field and a spark blew off."
"Aigoo, why would they do that?"
"How should I know? You go ask the bastard why he pulled a stunt like that."
"Pa, you can't just call him a bastard. What if he's an elder?"
"Elder, my foot! Don't matter. You start a mountain fire, you're a bastard."
"You're right, Pa. Anyway, you be careful."
"You be careful too! Fire's no joke, night or day."
"Yes, sir."
While Go Gi-jin talked with Veterinarian Go Panseok, Lee Jun pulled up the fire reports. A mountain reduced to black ash filled the screen.
"Even after that huge wildfire in the spring, they just keep coming."
Go Gi-jin, hanging up, picked up the thought.
"That's what I'm sayin'. But Hyungnim, I heard it takes at least thirty years for a mountain to recover after a fire?"
"That's what they say."
"It's just so hollow, y'know. Everything it took more than thirty years to grow, gone in a flash."
"Exactly. That's why you've got to watch for fire day and night. Speaking of which, we should get an inspection."
"What kind of inspection?"
"Whether this hospital's got any faulty wiring, that sort of thing. Don't you remember? Two years ago, Senior Kim Gyeong-jin's clinic caught fire."
"Ah, that's right! But none of the animals got hurt, yeah?"
"Yeah, thank goodness. The fact that it started at eight in the evening was a godsend. Though of course it would've been better if there hadn't been a fire at all."
"Well, sure. Still, gettin' all ten of those kids out safe — he really did good."
"Yeah, sounds like Gyeong-jin moved fast. He was about to clock out for the night, just the on-duty vet staying behind, when he suddenly got a weird feeling."
"A strange smell, actually."
Yoo Mu-hwan said it as he came in.
"You know about it, Dr. Yoo?"
Asked whether he was familiar with the fire at Kim Gyeong-jin Animal Hospital, Yoo Mu-hwan nodded.
"A classmate of mine works there. He was there that day too."
"I see. He must have been terrified."
"I'm sure he was. Senior Kim was leaving that evening, and for some reason he said he wanted to walk the hospital once before he went. Ordinarily he just handed off to the on-duty veterinarian and headed out, but that night he'd already changed clothes and was making a round when he caught a strange smell. He looked around and found smoke coming from a room in the corner."
"That must have been a real shock."
"Yes. He called the fire department immediately and ran out with the animals in his arms. Fortunately it was eight o'clock, so some of the staff hadn't left yet, and they handled it quickly."
"That's a relief."
"It truly was. No one was hurt. They did have to renovate the interior afterward — the smell of smoke, and all the water the firefighters sprayed putting it out."
"As long as no people or animals were hurt, that's what matters. Fire is truly terrifying. Water too, of course."
"That's what I'm sayin'. You've got to be careful day and night, no two ways about it. Look at this. This mountain burned last spring, and it's still pitch-black."
Go Gi-jin held out a photograph of the previous year's great fire. The screen showed mountains stripped bare or turned black — the work of a blaze that had burned for more than two hundred hours and swallowed 20,923 hectares of green forest, an area a third the size of Seoul.
"It'll take a real long time to recover, won't it?"
"It will."
Looking at the photograph, a thought suddenly surfaced in Lee Jun's mind. They'll run the Santa Dog campaign again next spring, won't they? But would it be so bad to do it once more in the fall? If the seeds put down roots before the ground freezes, all the better — and if the little animals who've lost their homes eat the seeds as food, that's good too.
Santa Dog was the name given to dogs who climbed the mountains for the sake of the ones that had burned — a play on "mountain-climbing dogs."
The so-called Santa Dog Project.
The dogs who joined the project ran and played in every direction with small perforated pouches hanging from them, packed with native seeds like deodeok and balloon flower. As they played, the seeds spilled out through the holes, took hold, and put down roots.
The thought slipped straight out of Lee Jun's mouth.
"Sapsaree would be great as a Santa Dog…"
"Santa Dogs? You mean those dogs that run around with seed pouches on?"
"Yeah. Don't you think Sapsaree would be good at it?"
"I sure do. Hold on — that rascal Taesan would be real good at it too."
"He would. The whole idea started with three border collies in Chile."
"That's right, didn't it? Didn't they say those dogs scatter ten kilograms of seed a day?"
"That's what I heard. But the important thing was the distance they covered. Area, really. They said the ground those dogs covered in a day was thirty square kilometers. About ten times what a person can do."
"Aigoo, that's somethin' else!"
"It might just be a difference in how they think about it. People treat it as labor. The dogs treat it as play. Can you imagine how happily they ran?"
"Well, I s'pose so. Watchin' that rascal Taesan run, I can believe it. You wouldn't believe how fast he is herdin' the cattle. Never even gets tired. But why Santa Dogs all of a sudden? Don't they do that in the spring?"
"They do."
Korea had borrowed the idea from those Chilean border collies and run the project a few times, always between spring and summer.
"I was just thinking it might be fine to do it now, too. They scatter seeds like balloon flower and deodeok, right? I wondered if it wouldn't be all right to sow those in the fall as well."
"It'd be fine. Folks sow balloon flower in the fall sometimes anyway."
"Is that so? Here's how I was thinking of it."
"How's that?"
"If the seeds put down roots, wonderful. If they don't, they become food for the little animals. Either way is good."
"Ohh. That's a real good thought. Hyungnim, let's try it."
"Just the two of us? Sapsaree running around alone isn't going to— wait. No. I've got a much better idea."
Lee Jun picked up his phone at once and sent a text to Park Joo-hwan, the producer of Animal Praise, asking if he was free to talk. He might be busy, after all.
The moment the message flipped to read, the phone rang.
"Director Lee! How have you been?"
"PD Park, I hope you've been well?"
"Thanks to you, Director Lee, I've been wonderful. That said, my head is still awfully heavy."
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"A problem? I suppose it is. Thanks to you, our ratings have gotten so high that the whole team has turned into hyenas hunting for new stories. Hahaha!"
He had called it a problem, but it did not sound like a problem at all. The voice coming through the receiver was brightness itself.
Lee Jun gave a short laugh.
"The reason I'm calling is that there's something I'd like to try, and I thought it might interest you."
"Hah! O-of course I'm interested. If you're the one doing it, Director Lee, it's an automatic yes. Give it to me."
PD Park came in swinging.
"I was thinking we might do Santa Dogs."
"Santa Dogs — isn't that a spring project? It would make a fine special for next spring."
"Yes, I was thinking the same. But doing it once more in the fall wouldn't be a bad thing either, would it?"
"Th-then you mean right now? Director Lee! That's an excellent idea. Good — of course it's good. There are bound to be seeds you can sow in the fall. Absolutely. I'll find them, I promise you."
PD Park's voice rang with conviction as he swore he would track down every seed that could be planted in autumn.
"Haha. Just listening to you gives me energy. The real focus I want this time, actually, is food. The trees and grass have all burned, so the animals living on those mountains will have nothing to eat. And the weather's turning cold."
"That's Director Lee for you. So the spirit of this Santa Dog run would be, 'Let's feed the animals who survived on the burned mountains'?"
"That, and more besides. If there are seeds that can be sown in the fall, we scatter those — and acorns, nuts, grain, that sort of thing as well. And if we get a little greedier, I think it would be wonderful to build houses for the birds and the small animals. The dogs run and play and sow the seeds and grain. The people build the shelters those little ones will need to last the winter."
"Th-that sounds wonderful. The trees and grass have all burned, so there won't be any nests left either. People already put out feed for migratory birds, and they leave food in the mountains in the dead of winter for the wild animals, don't they? I think it's a fine idea."
"I'm glad you're looking at it positively."
"Hahaha, not at all. You're the remarkable one for thinking of it. I'll take it to an internal meeting, then. We'll need to find sponsors and do publicity, but I have a good feeling about this."
"Ah — one more thing, PD."
"Yes, please."
"The regions hit by wildfires aren't just one or two places, are they?"
"Th-that's true."
"So I've been thinking…"
At last, the real reason Lee Jun had called PD Park came out.
"If Animal Praise takes the lead, I believe this could grow into something ongoing — not a one-off event. Animal Praise, working for the restoration of the ecosystem. Doesn't that sound right?"
"…… Director! That's a wonderful idea."
"The thing is, making it concrete will take quite a bit of time. Finding sponsors, doing publicity, and so on."
"That's true."
"So I thought I might go first."
"You, Director Lee? How do you mean? With the dogs who come to Mongmong Animal Hospital, and their guardians?"
"Ah, that would be nice too. But what I had in mind was doing it with the kids at Uriteul."
"Uriteul — you mean the one in Namyangju…"
"Yes. I think they'd be so happy if we took them up the mountain. And honestly, if they joined in large numbers, I have a feeling ordinary guardians might hesitate to take part."
"…… Surely not."
PD Park's words came a beat late. At that reaction, Lee Jun smiled a little bitterly.
"That's why I thought I'd take those kids to Hongseong first, and go volunteer."
"N-no, that isn't what I meant."
"Haha. I know. Still, I'd love for those kids to run as freely as they want. And, well, the reason I'm telling you this, PD Park, is…"
"You want us to broadcast those children volunteering, so we can set the mood for viewers to join in. Is that it?"
"Hahaha. Yes. The more pet owners and their companions take part, the better, right?"
"Kh—"
A voice thick with tears suddenly came through the phone, and Lee Jun's eyes went wide.
Where was the part that would make someone cry?
He was turning the conversation back over in his mind when PD Park's voice came again.
"It's just— it's too sad, and I'm so sorry. And grateful. Children that people abandoned… and those same children are the ones going out to serve people."
Ah. So that was it.
Lee Jun was grateful that PD Park was thinking of Uriteul's little ones with such genuine feeling.
"It's for all of us, isn't it? When a mountain is restored, is that only good for people? It's good for the animals too. For the plants. For everyone."
"Th-that's true. Thanks to you, Director Lee, I think a truly fine project is about to be born."
"Then I'll start getting ready to go to Hongseong."
"Please let me know once the date is fixed."
"I will."
Lee Jun hung up with Park Joo-hwan and asked,
"When is my day off again? Tomorrow? The day after?"
"You're off tomorrow."
Yoo Mu-hwan answered.
"Ah, right. Then I should go to Uriteul tomorrow."
He had a plan — but he still needed to ask the ones it actually concerned. He was murmuring that to himself when Go Gi-jin spoke up.
"Hyungnim, I'm comin' too."
"Gi-jin, you're on duty tonight. You need to rest tomorrow."
"I'll be fine. You'll be the one drivin', won't you? I can sleep in the car. I already told Deokgu I was comin', and I want to see the other kids too."
"All right, then. But if you're too tired, you're not going. Understood?"
"Yes, sir. Then we'd better pack snacks for 'em, Hyungnim."
"Yeah, we should."
"I'll go downstairs and ask the manager to put some together."
Go Gi-jin's voice was bright with excitement.
"Do that."
Lee Jun was smiling as he stepped outside, and Sapsaree, who had been sitting just beyond the cafeteria door, stood up and asked him,
"Hyungnim, I say. What am I good at, I say? I'm good at everything, I am!"
It might have sounded like a strange thing to say, if you didn't know. But Lee Jun understood him at once.
Sapsaree had remembered what he had said.
For a moment, Lee Jun's heart sank. Ah. I talked about the mountains right in front of him.
Sapsaree had lived alone in the mountains for a long time. He smiled so brightly now — but those old feelings might still be there.
Lee Jun apologized immediately.
"I said Sapsaree would be good at running around on a mountain. I brought up the mountains. You didn't like that, did you? I'm sorry."
"No, I say. I don't mind, I say. If I go with Hyungnim and Hoesaegi-hyungnim and Gkamnyangi-hyungnim, I don't mind at all. I like it, I do!"
At that, the corner of Lee Jun's mouth lifted, quiet and unbidden.
It meant Sapsaree trusted him.
"Really? You're all right going up the mountain with me?"
"That's right, I say! I can go with Strong Hyungnim too! But Hyungnim, I say — is Benji-hyungnim coming? Benji-hyungnim loves the mountains so much!"
Sapsaree had brought up Benji, the retired police dog — a Belgian Malinois.
"Ah!"
He hadn't thought of that at all.
For dogs who had spent their working lives climbing mountains as search dogs, those slopes would have been a playground. It would be refreshing for them too. As long as their legs don't hurt.
Lee Jun stroked Sapsaree, proud of the thought.
"That's a wonderful idea, Sapsaree. It would be great if Benji came too."
"That's right, I say! If Benji-hyungnim comes, and Bangwool-i-hyungnim too, that'll be so good!"
Sapsaree's voice bounced, bright at the thought of playing with Benji and Bangwool-i.
Just then, Lee Jun's phone rang.
"Yes, PD Park."
"Director Lee. We've got the green light. They want us to start planning immediately."
"What? Already?"
A broadcasting station wasn't a Chinese restaurant, where you placed an order and the food arrived at the door. These days even delivery takes forever.
Lee Jun's face went blank with disbelief, but Park Joo-hwan, who couldn't see it, only sounded brighter.
"Of course. The moment they heard it was your project, Director Lee, they said to push it through at once. Hahaha! Now that — that is the power of Director Lee, wouldn't you say? Hahaha!"
Park Joo-hwan laughed, his voice full of confidence. And a few hours later, news of the campaign went up on the Animal Praise board.